Courtney’s Movieblog

So the nominations for this years MTV Movie Awards have been released. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Amy Adams in Enchanted has been nominated for several awards, including Best Comedic Performance, Best Female Performance, and Best Kiss. I hope she wins at least one of them, because she should get something after getting snubbed from the Oscars.

Also nominated for Best Kiss is Harry Potter’s first kiss in Order of the Phoenix. I was kind of expecting this, since there was a lot of hype surrounding it. However, many fans are anticipating the more “serious” kissing that’s coming in the next few movies, including (spoiler alert), the long-awaited liplock between Ron and Hermione — which had better be good after flaunting the wonderfully frustrating chemistry the two have. Either way, I hope the Harry/Cho kiss wins because it’s the only MTV nomination this year’s Harry Potter movie has got, and after being nominated for the past couple of MTV Movie Awards, it should at least get something.

But what’s disappointing is that the cool pirate wedding from Pirates of the Caribbean 3 wasn’t nominated! I just watched that part again today, and I thought for sure it would get something. It is such a movie kiss! But I guess whoever is in charge of the nominations thought that there were other more interesting kisses, like the one in Juno, which I haven’t seen, but is also nominated for Best Kiss.

Another nomination is the fight between Harry Osborn and Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3. However, according to clip given, it’s not the awesome guy fight they have when Peter is Emo Spider-man, but the first one when Harry is on his stupid flyer thing. What a rip-off.

Topher Grace (Venom) is also nominated for Best Villain, which is another dubious choice. Like I said in my review, Venom was cool in terms of special effects, but when it came to personality, he was really one-dimensional. Plus, he acted like a smarmy idiot most of the time. I don’t think that’s how Eddie Brock acted in the comics, but then again, this is the same movie franchise that ruined the character of Mary Jane.

No, when it comes to Best Villain, I’m hoping Johnny Depp wins for Sweeney Todd, since again, he didn’t get the Oscar (though he at least got the Golden Globe). He’s also nominated again for Jack Sparrow for Best Comedic Performance.

Anyway, for a complete listing of the nominees, go to the MTV website. It will be intersting to see how this year’s show goes.

Another big event in movie news is that the highly anticipated Twilight film has had it’s first teaser trailer come out. I’m sure most of you have read Diane’s thoughts about it the Spartan Sweethearts blog. I’ll be frank: I don’t really like vampire romance novels. I did skim through the books, and though the plot was kind of interesting, I didn’t really care for it. It really was as trashy as Diane made it sound, but to each his/her own.

I did, however, see the trailer, and it does look interesting, even if I’m not going to see it. It is kind of cool that the guy who plays Edward is the same actor who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I will admit that he is cute, but I happen to notice that in the trailer, they made his hair resemble Angel’s from Buffy. Coincidence?

First of all, I’ve never really seen the cartoon, and no, I have no plans of seeing the movie.

But I do know about Speed Racer, since it’s spoofed so many times, and that it was one of the first animes to ever come to the U.S. Everyone knows about the poor dubbing job and the funny-sounding laughts. I also have the theme song on a CD (it’s a collection of theme songs from 70s/80s shows). Oh, and the whole thing with the monkey and the kid brother in the trunk, but I digress.

Still, I have the previews to this movie, and it is without a doubt, one of the cartooniest live action cartoons I’ve ever seen. Seriously, the race track scenes look like something you’d see in the Mario Kart video games. I guess I should have known, seeing that the same guys who did the Matrix trilogy are in charge of that.

Anyway, I guess I was right in predicting that Hollywood won’t rest until it’s redone every single cartoon as a live action film. I think Speed Racer might have been better off as a cartoon, because the cheesy stuff that everyone liked about the cartoon might not be in the film (i.e. the “Aaah! Ooh! Ahh!” reaction shots and the poor dubbing). But I guess should leave that judgment to people who are actually going to see it.

It makes me wonder what next year’s Dragonball film will be like. I’m still planning to see that one, no matter how bad it may turn out, but other than that, I’m steering clear of live action cartoons from now on.

Maybe it’s just because I’m a girl, but I always like it when a movie has a wedding. It’s not because they usually make it so elegant (especially in wardrobe), but also because the best movie weddings are the ones that don’t go as planned, or get busted up in an exciting way. However, I don’t enjoy weddings in which the bride ditches the groom at the last second, because that’s just about the worst way to break up with someone. Examples of this include Runaway Bride, Spider-Man 2, and it looks like the upcoming Sex and the City movie, although from what I saw in the trailer, I don’t know if it’s Carrie or Mr. Big that bolts.

Anyway, aside from that particular movie cliche, weddings that get busted up or interrupted are fun to watch. It’s even better when the wedding is done in a stranger, more awkward way than expected. So here are my top 10 favorite exciting movie weddings:

1. The Princess Bride: Who doesn’t love Inigo, Westley, and Fezzik storming the castle to stop the wedding of Buttercup and Prince Humperdink, while the priest with the ridiculously drawn-out speech drones on and on? And the best part even though they were pronounced “man and wife,” the thing that stopped the wedding was Buttercup simply not saying, “I do.”

2. Will and Elizabeth’s pirate wedding in POTC At World’s End: Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) in the midst of the climatic battle with Barbossa, Davey Jones, and the British fleet managed to get married by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in the middle of a big storm. Only in a movie could such a thing be accomplished, but it still rocked.

3. The El Paso Texas Wedding Massacre in Kill Bill: True, Bill and the Deadly Viper squad crashed a wedding rehersal, not an actual wedding, but as long as the bride and groom had their outfits on, it still counts. Besides, how cool is it that there was an assassin/anti-superhero named The Bride (Uma Thurman)? If only Quentin Tarantino had gone through his original plan of having Beatrix/The Bride confront Bill in her wedding gone. That would have been so cool.

4. The catfight in Monster-in-Law: I liked this movie, but even if I didn’t, it was worth seeing Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda slap the crap out of each other at the wedding. I bet there are quite a few girls that have wanted to do that to their potential in-laws.

5. The Focker wedding in Meet the Fockers: Having Kevin (Owen Wilson) perform the wedding ceremony of his ex-girlfriend is the end-all-be-all of awkward situations. Pretty much icing on the cake after all Greg suffered meeting his in-laws and having them meet his own parents.

6. The montage of weddings in Wedding Crashers: Even if they attended weddings under false pretenses, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn managed to be the life of the party. They won over people who barely knew who they really were!

7. “Love Stinks” in The Wedding Singer: Never hire a wedding singer who has just gotten jilted. But you have to admit that Scott and Cindy’s tacky 80’s wedding reception was asking to be ruined. Plus, Adam Sandler’s version of “Love Stinks” was one of the highlights of the film.

8. The wrath of sea creatures in The Little Mermaid: Only a Disney movie would have all the heroine’s animal friends to rush to the rescue to stop the prince from marrying the wrong girl. Still, they crashed the wedding magnificently. I still laugh at the part when the dolphins leap up to the wedding boat to squirt water at Ursula.

9. Ben the wedding crasher in The Graduate: Probably the most over-the-top scene in the film, but also one of the only funny parts in what is otherwise a somewhat depressing film. Ben (Dustin Hoffman) waving a crucifix at the wedding guests and then using it to barracade him in the church while he and Elaine (Katherine Ross) making a run for it is just classic.

10. American Wedding: It’s surprising how lovely and normal Jim and Michelle’s wedding turned out to be after all the pre-wedding troubles, like Stifler’s attempt to rescue the ring from dog poop, Jim’s “special haircut,” the flowers getting ruined, the bachelor party gone wrong, and of course, Stifler unwittingly having sex with the grandmother. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be able to forget that one.

So what are your favorite exciting movie weddings? Please feel free to share in your comments. I know I say that in almost every blog entry, but I really do like it when you tell me your opinions and suggestions.

The thing I like most about movie previews is that they always leave you wanting more, keeping you in anticipation for the actual movie. Plus, they’re something to watch if there aren’t any movies in theaters that you want to see. In my case, it’s the latter.

The funny thing is that most of the previews I’ve been seeing on TV aren’t movies that I’m planning to see, but will probably read about on Wikipedia or The Movie Spoiler just out of curiosity. Here are some of the commercials I’ve been seeing a lot of lately:

Made of Honor: The idea of a guy being a maid of honor would have been funny if it wasn’t for the whole “he’s trying to stop his best friend from marrying another guy” cliche. A lot of other people think this one is a rip-off of My Best Friend’s Wedding, and I think they’re right. The question is whether the ending will be different.

Iron Man: I don’t really like the Marvel comic heroes except Spider-Man (and I’m actually over that franchise), so I’m not planning to see it. I do think the “Iron Man” heavy metal theme is cool though.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Ben Barnes (the guy who plays Prince Caspian) is my new movie crush. I don’t care if the Spanish accent is fake, he is FINE. I heard that the movie kind of hints at a relationship between Caspian and Susan, which isn’t in the book, but who cares? They don’t actually end up together in the books, so it would spice up the film a little.

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan: I actually saw this in the OnDemand trailers. I have feeling that several anti-Arab American defamation groups are going to have a cow with this one.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Aside from the argument that Harrison Ford is getting a tad old to be playing the same parts, what part of LAST CRUSADE does Spielburg not understand?! If you’re going to end a franchise, you can’t just make another movie years later! Though to be fair, it does look kind of cool, but not cool enough to convince me to see it.

Stepbrothers: Will Ferrell and John C. Reily are together again in a new comedy about two grown men living with their single parents until the parents get married to each other and want them to get a place of their own. It looks pretty funny.

I really hope a trailer for the next Harry Potter comes with Narnia so I can get giddy over another movie preview.

Also, I watched Elizabeth: The Golden Age out of curiosity. Honestly, if you like period pieces and don’t care about historical accuracy, it’s not as bad as the reviews said. Cate Blanchett was fabulous and the costumes were beautiful, but aside from that, I didn’t like it as much as the first one.

Let me know if there are any other interesting previews out there, or feel free to share your thoughts about the ones I listed.

The Wedding Singer is not only one of the best films about weddings ever, but also one of Adam Sandler’s more superior films (comedy-wise). It also features clever satire on the 80’s, featuring everything from the tacky fashions, music, and films. Of course, I’m a little skeptical about how Broadway could have turned this into a musical, but the few songs I have heard were pretty catchy, so it might be good.

Taking place in 1985, Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is the best wedding singer money can buy. At least he was until he ironically was dumped at his own wedding by his skanky girlfriend. In his depression, he manages to ruin another person’s wedding — involving the best rendition of “Love Stinks” ever — before swearing off the business for good. Nevertheless, he manages to get back on his feet with the help of a waitress named Julia (Drew Barrymore). He realizes that he has feelings for her, but she’s unfortunately engaged to marry a nasty, cheating yuppie. So Robbie has to find some way to declare his feelings and stop Julia from wrecking her life. And what better way to do it through song?

Sandler and Barrymore surprisingly make one of the cutest movie couples ever. Their chemistry was also evident in 50 First Dates, but to be honest, I didn’t like that as much this movie. It’s also a role that gave Adam Sandler the fact to show his singing chops. When I first saw this, I didn’t know about his early work on Saturday Night Live, so I had no idea that he could sing. I especially loved his original contributions to the soundtrack: “Grow Old With You” and “Somebody Kill Me.”

In addition, the film features classic lines like “Well I have a microphone and you don’t, SO YOU WILL LISTEN TO EVERY DAMN WORD I HAVE TO SAY!” and “Once again, things that could have been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!” The lines about 80’s pop culture are also pretty funny when you know about the outcome, such as the one wedding planner comparing Robbie and Julia to couples like Bert and Lonnie or Donald and Ivanna.

And of course, who can forget the cameo by Billy Idol! I swear, the airplane scene where all the first-class passengers (Billy Idol included) immediately side with Robbie and try to help him end up with Julia. That is such a cliche movie moment, but it’s done hilariously. I’m kind of bummed that the musical version apparently doesn’t have that part, or has changed it in some way.

Maybe it’s not the funniest Sandler film, since it doesn’t have as much crude humor as Little Nicky or The Waterboy. Still, it’s one of the more intelligent ones, and that counts for something. Besides, it’s way better than The Wedding Planner, which is (in my opinion) basically more or less a rip-off of this film.

One of the most classic types of villains used in movies are ironically something we use every day: machines. Perhaps they’re not always supernaturally evil, but most films prove that they aren’t always reliable, whether because they fall into the wrong hands or just have a little glitch. They could take over the world or even destroy it, if given have the chance. So here are the top 10 films which feature machines as a danger to others:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey: I’ve never actually seen the film all the way through, but everybody knows about the HAL machine; he was one of AFI’s top 100 villains! What’s scary is that they never actually show what caused him to malfunction and kill those astronauts. Was it just a glitch or did he have some software that would make sure nobody would threaten him?

2. The Matrix films: The machines get so powerful that they enslave the human race and keep them in pods that lead them to believe everything is normal. Kind of far-fetched, but effective nonetheless.

3. The Terminator: Obviously, The Terminator is one of the scariest things out there. Because absolutely nothing will stop him unless you completely destroy him. And who could have predicted that his obvious, dead-panned statements (”I’ll be back.”) could become part of pop culture?

4. Christine: The car is posessed by its crazy, obsessive owner. Even creepier, the nerdy high school student actually falls in love with it to the extent where he believes it’s a real person. I’ve heard of naming your cars, but this is ridiculous…

5. AI Artificial Intelligence): Once again, humans taking technology too far. Making robotic children for adults to love is sick enough, but to have software that would turn an emotionless machine into a Oedipal stalker like poor David (Haley Joel Osmond) is beyond cruelty.

6. Star Wars (prequel trilogy): The moral of the story? Don’t trust the clones. They may be good fighters, but in a split second, they will wipe out almost all the Jedi race. And let’s not forget the power of the Death Star…

7. Robocop: I’m pretty sure that in the long run, Alex Murphy/Robocop would have preferred death than to be turned into a machine that a coorporation was planning to use and control.

8. WarGames: You’d think that government would know better than to have a computer that controlled the nuclear arsonal or whatever, or would have made sure that no one could accidentally hack into it. Also, the part where Matthew Broderick gets an automatic call from the “war game” program on his computer is just too creepy.

9. Rocky IV: Okay, there wasn’t really an “evil” machine in this movie, but they did portray technology in a negative life by comparing Rocky’s natural, traditional training to all the drugs and computer-similuated workouts that Drago was doing.

10. Back to the Future: The time-traveling car may have looked fun, only one wrong move and you could screw up history. Your father could die, you never could have been born, and oh yeah, your teenage mom could fall in love with you…

Did I miss any other “evil machine” movies? If so, please feel free to share your thoughts!

Most period pieces have the tendency to be historically inaccurate. Elizabeth, the 1998 film starring Cate Blanchett, is no exception, but like most period pieces I’ve seen, it’s still an excellent film.

I think this the film that got me interested in The Tudors, since I now read most historical fiction about them (especially the Philippa Gregory novels), watch Showtime’s The Tudors, and have seen The Other Boleyn Girl. I almost wanted to see Elizabeth: The Golden Age, but the bad reviews and the fact that the first film didn’t need a sequel convinced me not to.

Anyway, Cate Blanchett brings out a stellar performance as the witty and formidable Elizabeth I of England. Her life, however, was not one of a fairy tale. Leaving out the fact that her dad had her mom killed and that her sister (”Bloody Mary”) was convinced she was out to get her, her future was always insecure, even when she was finally crowned queen. Since she was a Protestant and considered an illegitimate child, the Catholic Church refused to acknowledge her as heir and tried to bring her down. Her advisers kept encouraging her to get married, even though the prospects weren’t appealing to her.

In the film, she finds solace in her lover, Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes)…until she finds out that he’s married. This is another big historical inaccuracy, because whether or not she and Dudley really were lovers, she knew perfectly well that he was married; she even attended the wedding. Regardless, this is the big turning point in the film, as it truly transforms her into the “Virgin” Queen of England.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Dudley is trying to explain himself, claiming that nothing has changed, and she yells, “I am not your Elizabeth! I am no man’s Elizabeth! If you seek to rule here, you are mistaken!” And to the whole court, she announces, “I will have one mistress here, and no master!” For the Middle Ages, when even royal women were expected to be subservient to men, it is truly a defining moment of self-respect. Another inspiring scene is when Dudley makes another attempt to reconcile with her, and she says disdainfully, “You love me so much, you’d have me be your whore?”

In reality, Elizabeth’s virtue was questionable (let’s just say she’s been linked with more than one married man), but most movies have to change their characters so that the audience will get behind them. Needless to say, it works perfectly in this film.

Most people complain that Cate Blanchett should have won the Oscar that year instead of Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love (which oddly enough also starred Joseph Fiennes). Having seen both films, I have to agree. Shakespeare in Love was fine and all that, but Blanchett’s character was more powerful than that of Paltrow. But I guess playing a historical figure doesn’t always guarantee an Oscar.

Normally, I don’t post about made-for-TV movies, but I’m willing to make an exception for this case. Last night, Masterpiece Theater aired the drama, “My Boy Jack,” which starred Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. Radcliffe plays John “Jack” Kipling, the son of author Rudyard Kipling, who wrote The Jungle Book and other stories.

This is a very sad chapter of Kipling’s life, taking place in the period of World War I. Jack wanted to join the British navy, partially because Kipling was in great support of the war, but he had some severe seeing problems. Since there were no contact lenses back then, that was enough to disqualify for enlistment. However, since Kipling is a famous author, he is able to pull some connections and get Jack into the army, despite the protests of his wife and daughter.

So Jack goes off to the army, doing so well that reaches the rank of lieutenant. But then Jack is reported missing after the battle. The Kiplings refuse to give up hope and do everything they can to help find Jack, including questioning his fellow men and going through lists of captured photos. Yet two years later, they finally find out that Jack was killed in battle, plunging everyone–especially Rudyard– into indescribable grief and turmoil.

Earlier in my blog, I said that I hoped that we’d get to see Radcliffe in other roles outside of Harry Potter, so I was really impressed with his performance. As Jack, he is a hot-blooded, restless, stubborn boy who wants to fight for his country, yet has his poignant moments when he is constantly humiliated when he fails the army vision tests and when he is seen fighting for his life in the battle scenes.

That being said, there were moments when I was reminded of Harry Potter, particularly because he wore glasses, but since the real Jack Kipling wore glasses, it isn’t really a big deal. It was a little shocking to see him smoking or going into battle though, but then again people felt the same way about the real life antics of Lindsay Lohan or Drew Barrymore (before she got cleaned up). The scene showing him getting killed is especially painful.

In short, if Radcliffe wants to avoid typecasting, he’s doing a pretty good job so far. He has recently accepted the lead role in a biopic about photojournalist Dan Eldon, who was killed in Somalia, so that should be interesting to see.

These days, everybody seems more interested in seeing families that are screwed up than ones that are wholesome and loving. Most of the time, they’re just funnier to watch than real families. How else could The Simpsons still be on the air after all this time? Then again, they aren’t considered the most dysfunctional anymore, compared to the Griffins and their psychotic baby onFamily Guy and the countless horrible parents on South Park.

However, in movies, there are more families that are messed up — and not necessarily in a funny way. Seriously, some make the ones seen on Jerry Springer look like a picnic. Here’s a look at what I think are the top 10 most dysfunctional movie families:

1. The Skywalkers: It’s not bad enough that the father, Anakin/Darth Vader, strangles his own wife, unwittingly captures his daughter and tries to kill or corrupt his own son. Oh no. Luke discovers that Leia — the woman he’s had a crush on — is his twin sister. Too bad they couldn’t have found this out before Leia kissed him to make Han jealous…

2. Bill, Beatrix, and B.B. in Kill Bill: As loving as they seemed when they were reuinted, it’s not enough to make us forget that Bill put Beatrix in a coma and took their unborn daughter away. Not to mention how Beatrix made her it her prime goal to kill him. And doesn’t anyone think it’s kind of disturbing how B.B. easily accepts all these revelations? That’s the kind of thing that screws kids up. As if things couldn’t get weirder, the final fight takes place at the dinner table, and neither of them actually get up from their seats!

3. Sweeney Todd’s two families: Sweeney Todd’s real family (a.k.a. the Barkers) was already damaged beyond repair. He’s been emotionally dead after years of prison, his wife is insane, and their daughter is being raised by the same pervert who raped her mother. But then there’s the “surrogate family” he forms with Mrs. Lovett and Toby. It was kind of cute, in an Addams family kind of way, although Toby obviously had an Oedipus complex; he loved Mrs. Lovett and was literally willing to kill for her.

4. The Boleyns from The Other Boleyn Girl: Two sisters competing for the same guy is normal, especially if he’s the king. What isn’t so normal is how their uncle and father prostituted them in order to gain titles and courtly wealth. You know things are really bad if Anne was desperate enough to sleep with her own brother in order to get a son for the king.

5. The Tudors sisters from Elizabeth: The relationship between Elizabeth and her half-sister Mary is proof that sins of the father pass to the children. In fact, their father, King Henry VIII, was about the only thing that they had in common. I can see why Mary was so resentful of Elizabeth, since her father abandoned her and her mother for Elizabeth’s mother. Add that to the fact that Elizabeth was Protestant and Mary was Catholic, and Mary was so paranoid that she locked Elizabeth up for treason. At least Mary couldn’t go through with signing the order for the execution. Sometimes, blood really is thicker than water.

6. The Cruel Intentions stepsiblings: Even if they weren’t related, Katherine (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) brough incest to a weird and creepy new level.

7. Hamlet: Hamlet was crazy by himself, but then his uncle murdered his father and married his mother. That family would make anyone crazy. Scholars have speculated that Hamlet also had an Oedipus complex, which is very evident in the Mel Gibson film version.

8. Michael Myers and his sisters from Halloween: Michael Myers killed one of his sisters and spent most of his time stalking his other one. They never really explained why, other than the fact that he was evil and crazy. Talk sibling rivalry…

9. Mozart and his dad from Amadeus: Proof that no good can ever come out of using your child’s talent for fame and fortune. Mozart’s dad was a controlling, domineering jerk whose constant criticisms would hound his son, no matter how hard he tried to live his own life. Even after his dad died, Mozart was so consumed with guilt that Salieri used his father’s ghost to drive him nuts.

10. Ricky Bobby’s family in Talladega Nights: One of the funnier families on this list, but they’re messed up regardless. What other family would have kids named “Walker” and “Texas Ranger,” who were so foul and nasty that they make the kids on South Park look like angels (well, maybe not Cartman). Not to mention that Ricky Bobby was an idiot, their mom was trashy, and their grandpa was an alcoholic good for nothing. Their “family fun night” was getting kicked out of an Applebees! Need I say more?

Are their any other movie families that are messed up? Feel free to share your comments!

1. Whenever I watch Star Wars, I always turn the volume up during the opening credits music just for the cheap thrill.

2. No matter how many times I watch the new King Kong, I always curse the planes for shooting Kong even after he’s clearly beaten and Ann screams for them to stop.

3. I go on websites for the status on all upcoming movies I want to see.

4. No matter how much I’m irked by sequels, I have been known to return to franchises I love. That’s the reason why I’ve seen all the Shrek, Spider-Man, Star Wars (prequels and all), Lord of the Rings, Narnia and of course, Harry Potter movies. However, I mean when I said I was done with the first three, and I’m only seeing the next Narnia because after that film, the series gets too weird.

5. I’ve memorized numerous lines and songs from movies.

6. Whenever there’s a movie on TV that I like, I’ll always watch it, even if I have it on DVD.

7. Whenever there’s a movie reference on shows like Family Guy, I can usually identify it at least 8 out of 10 times.

8. I’ve always loved the coming attractions, no matter how excited I was about the movie I was seeing, becuase I always want to know what’s coming out next.